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As I reached into my book bag to pull out my latest read, an awareness to a journey became apparent to me. A year ago or so, I set out to read the Bible. Yup, the WHOLE thing, cover to cover.

Though I’m not done, I am close to finishing the historic text. When I noticed that the book wasn’t in my bag, though, I realized how similar my experience with this goal has been to the journey toward accomplishing any difficult task.

So, why did I choose to take this on?

No, I’m not a Jesus Freak. I’m actually not sure what that even is, but I don’t like the sound of it– so I’m not that. I do have a strong faith, however. I am a Christian, and I am one by choice. I never went to church as a kid, but I took on Christianity on my own. So, I figured I was a being irresponsible having not read The Bible.

And, I guess you could say, in part, I did it because I like to try things for the sake of their difficulty (See: My 5-months of cold showers). That’s all beside the point.

The watchful coach.

This journey may look familiar. Take a look:

Day 1. I set a goal to read 10 chapters a day for 2 months– Tedious, but I made huge progress. Yay, structure!

Day 61. “I don’t need the restrictions of my goal. I’ve got this on my own.”

Day 85. Great will power is keeping me in it, but my pace is slowing.

Day 108. Reading has become less focused. Justified with “I’m in it for the long haul.”

Day 154. So… boring… HELP! Where’s Jesus when you need Him?

Day 210. Rock Bottom. I haven’t touched the book in over a month..

Day 233. Feeling weak, I redoubled my commitment. (Goal: Get to the New Testament!)

Day 251. With a benchmark target insight, and the 1 year mark approaching I steam roll through the Old Testament.

Day 258. I gave myself a week off, to “celebrate” the halfway mark– Back to a maintainable volume in my life.

Day 282. The Gospel is good stuff!– 5 chapters nightly.

Day 351. “This shouldn’t feel like a chore.” I take a break. Hoping for the burst of motivation I got from “Rock Bottom.”

Day 372. I’m back in!

Day 379. Maybe too soon? Do I really want this that bad?

Day 393. Back to chipping away…

It has been quite a roller coaster ride, hasn’t it? But, it’s that how it always goes?

We begin something new and lofty with passion and structure. “I will go to the gym 3 times a week, starting New Year’s Day.” Things come up. Maybe we sputter here and there. There are peaks and valleys. Sad pitfalls in motivation are followed with promising efforts. Our efforts sometimes burn us out and aren’t part of a repeatable lifestyle. Benchmark’s along the way motivate us, and are worth celebrating. And if we don’t quit, success is all but guaranteed…

The details are different, but the conversations are the same as any fitness journey, team sport season, relationships, etc. The ups and downs are guaranteed; it’s the not quitting that’s key.

Commitment. It's a buzz word. It's a cliche. It's been the focus of many motivating talks. We talk about it often in our program, and commitment is even ingrained in our system in how we operate.Below is a video of Marcin Dolega snatching 199 KG, which broke the world record at the time. There a ...

Functional Fitness on the Bluffs is proud to announce our first fitness retreat that will take place September 9-11th in Arroyo Grande, CA. Attendees will join a group for a once in a lifetime experience under the guise of a dear friend of mine, Kenny Kane (A-list Celebrity Trainer/ Coach of Team CFLA), and John Hackleman ( ...

The classic text on negotiation "Getting to YES," by Rodger Fisher and William Ury, may not be about strength and conditioning, but I think the story told at the end of the book is extremely relevant. Here it is:
"Winning"
In 1964 an American father and his twelve-year-old son were enjoying a beautiful Saturday in Hyde Pa ...

Given that you look at yourself everyday in the mirror and that you don't have perfect perspective on where you have been, where you are now, and where you are going, chances are you can't see what's happening to you. If you've been a student here for some time now, chances are you are missing the amount of progress you're ...

Don't. Stop. Learning...Ever.Just like any other athlete, goal setting is important. A while back I set a goal to have a 300lb Clean & Jerk by the end of September. I'm close, but Olympic Weightlifting, like life, doesn't offer points for "almost."Naturally, in the days and weeks following I drilled skill work, reviewed ...

If you're looking for nutrition tips it may not be long into your search until you've got the feeling that you're drinking out of a fire hose. Yet, statistics reveal that Americans who are not clinically obese may soon be in the minority! One would think that with the apparent surplus of nutritional "knowledge" floating aro ...

Ok, not all of us played team sports past our elementary school days let alone high school and beyond. Whether you were a intramural star in college, an All-American, or you "retired" after a few years of Little League, I think we all can relate to the power of a team atmosphere.To me, the idea of being on a team is about a ...

We have become such a chair born society, most of us have desk jobs, that confine us to sitting for at least 7 hours. Then we come home from a long days work, and either sit at a computer desk, or on a couch!Most of us sit more than we sleep! So what’s so bad about that?Here is a great informative video from Mobility Spec ...

I couldn't be more excited to announce the growth of Functional Fitness on the Bluffs. In just a few short months, Danny, Annie, and I have turned an idea into a reality. Our reality is a community of people that are committed to the process of getting better. Our little group on our little bluff, has become a force to be r ...